The Dog House

Most people, with good reason, are enthusiastic about using a cage for at least the first couple of years. But after giving it a lot of thought we've decided to start without; we have a large utility room which I've been converting into Bingley's room, and at the moment I'm home all day so I can keep an eye on him.


Here's a photo of B's room in its early stages. I actually bought his bed from Ikea! It wouldn't have occured to me to go there for pet accesories, but after spending ages browsing Pets At Home at Gateshead Metrocentre, I needed to call somewhere before I had a little accident and once in Ikea I found that I couldn't get out without walking through the entire shop - a cunning bit of marketing. It took about two days and I was just beginning to despair of ever seeing the real world again when I spotted the exit. Luckily though, before my gleeful dash for freedom, I noticed a selection of pet things including this basket for £14.99! It might not be as luxurious as the £49.99 baskets in Pets At Home, and I'm not averse to spending money on Bingley, but...I couldn't see a great deal of difference between them, and this one is patterned with paw prints! Good old Ikea. I did buy a nice blue water bowl from PAH though, and we're going down again today to select chewy things....and treats.


The observant amongst you will have noticed issues with Bingly's room in the first photo. A section of electricity cable and a radiator valve right next to where he'll sleep - both very tempting to a teething puppy, but certainly not good for him (or for us). Thankfully I'm always hanging on to those useful looking bits of timber left over from DIY projects (what else are lofts for?), so I was able to quickly box off the problematic sections. Here's a photo of the finished job. The accessories are also increasing: there's a lovely soft blue fleece for Bingley to snuggle into - a gift from Liz West, and B's first present! Also a new doggie bowl - with a lovely blue inside and usefully labled 'Dog' just in case we get it muddled with our soup bowls.

The room is bright and airy, it's got a solid floor so little accidents won't be a problem, and I've removed anything that might get damaged or which might cause problems for Bingley. I hope that he appreciates all this! But more importantly we hope that he'll be happy and settled in there.